The Royal Borough of Greenwich Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel met on 13 November 2025, to discuss the Flood Risk Strategy and Surface Water Management Plan, and Estate Regeneration within the borough. The panel also reviewed the commissioning of future reports.

Estate Regeneration

The panel discussed a report on estate regeneration within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and agreed that the report and any recommendations be submitted to the Chief Executive.

The report provided an overview of the policy framework, current and planned regeneration schemes, and how the council will work with residents and stakeholders to deliver improvements to housing estates. The panel considered how the policy supports inclusive development, housing quality, and community wellbeing.

The report outlined the new approach to council-led estate regeneration approved by the cabinet on 13 March 2024, which aims to proactively counter the challenges facing the existing housing stock and secure the future supply of genuinely affordable, high-quality homes in the borough. Councillor Maisie Richards Cottell, Chair of the panel, heard that there is unprecedented pressure on council housing services, with over 25,000 households on the housing register and more than 1,900 homeless households living in temporary accommodation.

The report noted potential challenges such as:

• The viability of projects and programmes
• A requirement for significant internal resourcing
• Grant funding uncertainty
• The availability of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) funding
• Extensions of time to programmes
• Resident engagement fatigue
• Ongoing and future changes to Building Safety Regulations

The panel was informed about two large-scale comprehensive estate regeneration projects that the council has implemented to date:

• Kidbrooke Village, formerly the Ferrier Estate
• The Woolwich Estates, previously Connaught, Morris Walk, Maryon Road and Maryon Grove

The Woolwich Estates regeneration programme, in partnership with Lovell Partnerships and PA Housing, will deliver over 1,600 new homes, including 700 social rent homes, 111 shared ownership homes, and 804 homes for private sale. The Kidbrooke Village regeneration programme, in partnership with Berkeley Homes, will deliver over 5,000 new homes, with a mix of shared ownership, affordable rent, discounted market sale, and open market sale homes.

The panel discussed the importance of resident engagement in future estate regeneration projects. Since 2018, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has required that any landlord seeking GLA funding for estate regeneration projects involving the demolition of council-owned social rent homes must demonstrate resident support through a formal ballot. The council is committed to holding a ballot on all estates where regeneration is proposed, ensuring that each project is delivered in an inclusive, transparent, and community-led manner.

The council is developing an Estate Regeneration Engagement Framework, which will establish clear standards for how the council engages with residents once a detailed strategic assessment identifies an estate as suitable for potential regeneration. The framework will embed a robust, transparent, and inclusive feedback process. Residents will be offered access to an independent advisor to help them understand the complexities of estate regeneration and how they can effectively influence decisions.

As part of this approach, perception surveys will be undertaken on selected estates from the accelerated shortlist. These surveys will provide valuable insight into how residents feel about their homes, blocks, estates, and wider neighbourhoods.

The next steps for the estate regeneration programme include:

• Undertaking perception surveys on selected estates from the accelerated shortlist
• Co-designing the Estate Regeneration Engagement Framework
• Applying the Strategic Outline Business Case Framework to estates to determine a considered and sustainable delivery programme
• Engaging with affected parties to inform them that their areas are being considered for regeneration

Flood Risk Strategy and Surface Water Management Plan

The panel considered the update on the council's Flood Risk Strategy and Surface Water Management Plan and agreed that where appropriate, the report and any recommendations be submitted to the Chief Executive.

The report outlined the borough's approach to managing flood risk, including infrastructure planning, climate resilience, and partnership working. The panel considered how the strategy addresses current and future risks, particularly in vulnerable areas, and supports sustainable development.

A Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) is a statutory document under the Flood and Water Management Act, and Greenwich's LFRMS was last updated in 2015. The 5-year delay in updating the LFRMS is due to the post being empty and a general shortage of resources in the wider department.

The LFRMS is a high-level strategic document used to:

• Outline how local flood risk will be managed within the borough.
• Meet the requirements set out by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
• Coordinate actions for flood risk from surface water, groundwater, and ordinary watercourses.
• Set priorities for investment and risk reduction measures.
• Engage with communities and stakeholders about flood risk management.

The LFRMS will be split into several sections:

• Introduction
• Roles and responsibilities
• Objective A: Improving knowledge and understanding of flood risk within Greenwich
• Objective B: Maximising sustainability and biodiversity benefits
• Objective C: Reducing the risk of flooding to the community
• Objective D: Potential funding opportunities
• Objective E: Improving community awareness and preparedness of flood risk

An Action Plan will be produced as part of the LFRMS to facilitate the delivery of the five strategic objectives.

A period of public consultation is a statutory requirement and will be used to finalise the strategy. The consultation period is expected to begin in November and is estimated to last 6 weeks. Stakeholders will be consulted through an online questionnaire which will be hosted on the council's consultation portal.

A Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP) is not a statutory document and is only required where an authority believes there is a need. The Flood Risk and Drainage Team do not currently recommend or feel there is a need for a SWMP.

Commissioning of Future Reports

The panel noted the work items that are scheduled to be presented to the meeting of the Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel taking place on 15 January 2026.

The panel is scheduled to receive the following reports at its meeting on 15 January 2026:

• Community Asset Transfer: To present recommendations on the council's approach to community asset transfer.
• Highways Asset Management Plan: Update on the council's highways asset management plan.
• Jetties, Piers, Wharves and Dry Docks: Update on jetties, piers, wharves and dry docks within the borough.